Field trippin' fest history

KAREN CRISWELL - FOUNDER/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

LEILANI GUSHIKEN - FOUNDER/PRODUCER

FIELD TRIPPIN' FEST is a music festival designed to travel! With it's roots in the artistic community of the Venice Beach boardwalk, and the hectic lifestyle of artists in the Los Angeles area it begs to take off down the road! In Taos, home to one of the most vibrant creative and cultural communities, FIELD TRIPPIN' FEST found a place to launch it's inaugural event in 2017 on the stages of the Taos Mesa Brewing Mothership in the shadow of the glorious Sangre de Cristo mountains.

This high altitude, high energy music festival bringing Venice Beach to the mountains was born from the creative collaboration between Founder/Artistic Director, Karen Criswell/KONCEPT FILMS, and Music Producer, Michael Jost/RADIO VENICE.TV. Along with renowned Venice Beach artist, Brian Mylius they produced the music arts event, Westminster Arts Club at the iconic Venice location, Beyond Baroque.

When Karen permanently relocated to Taos after years of visiting, she realized that the artistic communities of Taos and Venice Beach were not all that dissimilar, and both were deeply rooted in music; all facets. She collaborated on the final concept of FIELD TRIPPIN' with the assistance of long-time friend and Dreamwork studio colleague, Leilani Gushiken/THE SIDE HUSTLE STUDIOS. With community support from Taos Mesa Brewing, The High Frequency Loft, Hotel Luna Mystica, and others, they developed the bones of what today is a moving, grooving deep dive into some of California's burgeoning talent mixed with mainstays on the indie music scene, and sprinkled with some local Taos favorites.

The long term goal of the festival is to spread the idea of community collaboration in music and the arts through Field Trippin' Fest events; both in the U.S. and internationally. To that end, the first Field Trippin' Fest - Germany was held August 11th, 2018, in the small town community of Niederdorfelden just outside the metropolitan city of Frankfurt. It is in the small spaces, the intimate venues, that Field Trippin' intends to grow, embracing the idea of gathering, and delving into the spontaneous joy of music, art, and performance; to enjoy a fabulous evening under the stars, in the shadow of mountains or on the shores of a beach.

There are very few places in the world that resonate like Taos. Many speak of the "hum", of this very special place. Because of that unique energy, it is the perfect base of operations for FIELD TRIPPIN'. Our main purpose as an artistic experience is to "field trip" into the wonderful sights, sounds, and art that exists in the beautiful spaces in the world sharing them with our audiences.

An epic mash up of beach and mountain, music and art...FIELD TRIPPIN' FEST is truly an exceptional experience for all ages to explore!

With gratitude to all of the musicians, artists, and performers who grace our world!